Hmmm…I found this interesting…
Only those Oscar nominees who win in their categories will go home with a bronze statuette, but all actors and directors who are nominated for awards will receive a complimentary bag full of expensive goodies.
The Oscars haven't given ceremony attendees or nominees official gift bags since 2006, when the Academy nixed the longstanding tradition, under scrutiny from the IRS. The tax agency insisted celebrities were responsible for paying taxes on the gifts, should they choose to accept them.
Since then, enterprising marketing guru, Lash Fary, founder of LA-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets, has been filling the swag void in an effort to get brands' products in front of some of the world's most influential consumers.
Dubbed the "Everyone Wins" gift bag, the freebies are not affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but the bags' contents are still taxable.
The nominees, most of whom are well-known celebrities earning millions of dollars a year, are often the recipients of lavish gifts from brands seeking their endorsements. The six-figure swag bag is also a valuable opportunity for small, lesser-known brands to raise their profiles and gain buzz-generating seals of approval from Hollywood's elite, according to Fary.
